Wire-stretcher



Patented Mar. 7, I899.

D. P. YATES.

WIRE STRETCHER.

(Application filed. Mar. 31, 1898.)

(No Model.)

: NORRIS PETERS co, morouwa. wgsn UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID P. YATES, OF SALISBURY, MISSOURI.

WlRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,629, dated March 7,1899.

Application filed March 31, 1898. Serial No- 6'75,979. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID P. YATES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Salisbury, in the county of Chariton and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful Wire- Stretcher, of which the followingis a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwire-stretchers and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient onewhich will be strong and durable and capable of readily stretching a fence-wire to the desired tension and of holding the same adjacent to afence-post while the said wire is being stapled or otherwise fastened tothe latter.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wire-stretcherconstructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to afence-post. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the opposite side of thewire-stretcher. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 4 is adetail view of the wire-clamp.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates asubstantially U-shaped frame having the terminals 2 of itssides pointed and adapted to be embedded in a fence-post 3, and theframe is provided at its opposite end with a centrally-arranged shank orneck 4, which is provided with a bearing-opening 5 for the reception ofa shaft 6. The sides of the frame are supported adjacent to the curvedportion or bend by a transverse bar or cross-piece 7, interposed betweenthe sides and connected with the same by any suitable means.

The shaft is disposed horizontally, and it has connected with it at oneside of the frame a chain 8 or other suitable flexible connection, whichcarries a wire-clamp 9, adapted to engage the wire to be stretched,whereby the wire will be drawn across the face of the fence-post, asillustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. The device issupported at the opposite side of the frame by a pair of rods 10,extending upward and downward from the shaft and provided at their outerends with arms 11, engaging the fence posts, preferably at a pointopposite the ends of the sides of the frame, whereby when there is atension on the chain 8 the device will be firmly held on the fence-post.The frame is mounted on the outer face of the post and the armsengagethe inner face of the same, being located at points above and below thesides of the frame, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Bythis arrangement the frame is held perfectly steady and a fencewire maybe drawn to any desired tension without displacing the device. The inneror adjacent ends of the rods 10 are provided with eyes, which are linkedinto perforations 13 of a plate 14, which is provided with an openingfor the reception of the shaft and is secured on one end of the same bya pin or key 15. The other end of the shaft is extended beyond the frameand is supported bya pair of inclined or angularly-disposed bracing rods16, which extend from opposite sides of the frame to the shaft, adjacentto one end thereof, being provided With an eye 17, and the said shaftcarries a ratchet-wheel 18, located adjacent to the shank or neck of theframe and adapted to be engaged by a pair of pawls 19 and 20. The pawlsor dogs 19 and 20, which are pivoted to the frame at opposite sides ofthe shaft, are adapted to engage the ratchet-wheel when the device isemployed at either side of a fence-post and when either side of theframe is uppermost. One of the pawls or dogs will always be in positionfor automatically engaging the ratchetwheel to lock the shaft againstaccidental retrograde rotations and hold the wire at the desired tensionwhile the same is being stapled or otherwise fastened to the fence-post.

The shaft carries a disk 21, which is arranged parallel with anddisposed opposite the ratchet-wheel, and the space between theratchet-wheel and the disk is adapted to receive a fence-wire should itbe drawn to that extent. The disk is located adjacent to the eye oropening of the braces 16, and it is located at the innersides of thesame, a crank handle 23 being secured to the shaft at the outer side ofthe braces. The crank-handle, which may be'mounted on the shaft in anysuitable manner, can be provided with a ratchet connection with thesame, so that a fence-wire may be stretched close" to the ground bypartially rotating the crank-handle successively instead of completelyrotating the same.

The wire-clamp, which is connected with the outer end of the chain by apair of rods 24., is composed of a pair of clamping-levers 25, havingdiverging outer or handle portions and pivoted between their ends at 26to a connecting-bar 27. The levers 25, which are adapted to engage afence-wire at a point between their pivots and their inner ends, arecurved inward toward each other and present convex faces to thefence-wire and their inner edges diverge at opposite sides of the convexfaces. The inner ends of the levers are perforated to receive theadjacent terminals of the rods 24 and the other ends of the latter areprovided with eyes and are linked into one end of the chain. By pressingthe outer or handle portions of the clamping-levers together theengaging portions are separated to release the fence-wire, and whenthere is a tension on the fence-Wire and on the chain theclamping-levers are caused to engage the wire firmly with a powerfulgrip.

The invention has the following advantages: The wire-stretcher, which issimple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, possesses greatstrength and durability and is capable of stretching a fence-wire to thedesired tension and of holding the same while it is being stapled orotherwise secured to a fence-post. The device is firmly supportedagainst a fence-post, and as it is provided with a double pair of dogsor pawls it is adapted to operate at either face of the same.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

WVhat is claimed is- V 1. A device of the class described comprising aframe adapted to be embedded in a fencepost, a shaft jonrnaled on theframe, disposed horizontally and extending from opposite sides of saidframe, aplate mounted on the shaft at one side of the frame and providedwith perforations, rods linked into the perforations and having arms attheir outer ends,

and means for connecting a fence-wire with the shaft at the oppositeside of the frame, substantially as described.

2. A device of the class described comprising a substantially U-shapedframe having pointed sides adapted to be embedded in a post, said framebeing provided with a neck or shank having a bearing-opening, ahorizontal shaft journaled in the bearing-open ing, rods connected withone end of the shaft and adapted to engage a fence-post, braces mountedon the frame and supporting the other end of the shaft, and 'means forconnecting a wire with the shaft, substantially as described. I

3. A device of the class described, comprisingaframe adapted to beembedded in afence post, a horizontal shaft journaled on the frame andextending from opposite sides thereof, a plate mounted on the shaft atone side of the frame, rods connected with the plate and adapted toengage the fence-post, a ratchet-disk mounted on the shaft and locatedat the opposite side of the frame, means for engaging theratchet-disk,braces mounted on the frame extended outward therefrom andconnected with the shaft, a guide-disk mounted on the shaft adjacent tothebraces, and means for connecting a wire with the shaft at a pointbetween the guide-disk and the ratchet-disk, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described, a wireengaging clamp comprising apair of clamping bars or levers provided between their ends with convexwire-en gaging portions and having their inner edges diverging outwardlyat both sides of the wire-engaging portions, the outer ends of thelevers forming handles and adapted to be compressed to open the clamp, atransverse connecting-piece pivoted to the levers at a point between theconvex engaging portions and the handles, and the conver- DAVID I.YATES.

Witnesses:

T. MARSHALL RIcE, S. H. REYNOLDS.

